                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
1  And he showed me a pure river      Zechariah 14:8 And it shall be          Hebrews 10:19&22 Having therefore,      "water of life" and "tree of life"                                              /
of water of life, clear as crystal,      in that day, that living waters         brethren, boldness to enter           Symbology or reality? Scholars and                                             /
proceeding out of the throne of          shall go out from Jerusalem;            into the holiest by the blood           sceptics have long pondered the                                              /
God and of the Lamb.                     half of them toward the former          of Jesus,                               mystery of these objects and others.                                         /
                                         sea, and half of them toward             Let us draw near with a true           In a book full of symbols, which                                             /
                                         the hinder sea: in summer and           heart in full assurance of faith,       is symbolic and which is reality?                                            /
                                         in winter shall it be.                  having our hearts sprinkled from        In the past many scholars have                                               /
                                      Ezekiel 47:12 And by the river             an evil conscience, and our bodies      made the mistake of assuming that                                            /
                                         upon the bank thereof, on this          washed with pure water.                 certain passages are symbolic only                                           /
                                         side and on that side, shall                                                    to have archaeological evidence                                              /
                                         grow all trees for meat, whose                                                  prove the reality of the passages.                                           /
2  In the midst of the street of         leaf shall not fade, neither                                                    The authors prefer to assume that                                            /
it, and on either side of the            shall the fruit thereof be                                                      reality is intended unless the                                               /
river, was there the tree of life,       be consumed: it shall bring                                                     Word so states or the symbol is                                              /
which bare twelve manner of fruits,      forth new fruit according to                                                    used else where.  In this case it                                            /
and yielded her fruit every month:       his months, because their                                                       is easy for the authors to close                                             /
and the leaves of the tree were          waters they issued out of the                                                   their eyes and imagine the scene of                                          /
for the healing of the nations.          sanctuary: and the fruit                                                        a very large stately and beautiful                                           /
3  And there shall be no more            thereof shall be for meat, and                                                  tree, maybe miles high and miles                                             /
curse: but the throne of God and         the leaf thereof for medicine.                                                  around.  A combination of all the                                            /
of the Lamb shall be in it; and       Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and         Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the        beautiful trees that exist today                                             /
his servants shall serve him:            dominion, and the greatness             author and finisher of our faith;       like a stately sequoia with massive                                          /
                                         of the kingdom under the whole          who for the joy that was set            prop roots similar to that of                                                /
                                         heaven, shall be given to the           before him endured the cross,           the mangrove growing from bank to                                            /
                                         people of the saints of the             despising the shame, and is set         bank of a beautiful crystal clear                                            /
                                         Most High, whose kingdom is             down at the right hand of the           flowing river.  A tree that bears                                            /
                                         an everlasting kingdom, and             throne of God.                          12 beautiful and diverse fruits                                              /
4  And they shall see his face;          all dominion shall serve and         I John 3:2 Behold, now are we the          such as the orange, apple, avocado                                           /
and his name shall be in their           obey him.                               sons of God, and it doth not yet        and others.  Leaves that heal and                                            /
foreheads.                            Psalms 17:15 As for me, I will             appear what we shall be: but we         water of life is no problem for                                              /
                                         behold thy face as righteous-           know that, when he shall appear,        indeed there would be no physical                                            /
5  And there shall be no night           ness; I shall be satisfied when         we shall be like him: for we            life on this earth without water                                             /
there; and they need no candle,          I awake, with thy likeness.             shall see him as he is.                 and for most of man's existence on                                           /
neither light of the sun; for the     Zechariah 14:7 But it shall be one      I Peter 1:4-5 To an inheritance            this earth plant life has been used                                          /
Lord God giveth them light: and          day which shall be known to the         incorruptible, and undefiled, and       for medicinal purposes.  Many will                                           /
they shall reign for ever and            Lord, not day, nor night: but           that fadeth not away, reserved in       still want to spiritualize this                                              /
ever.                                    it shall come to pass, that at          heaven for you,                         scene but the words of this revela-                                          /
6  And he said unto me, These            evening time it shall be light.          Who are kept by the power of           tion and that of the other prophets                                          /
sayings are faithful and true: and    Genesis 41:32 ..it is because the          God through faith unto salvation        appear to be very graphic and                                                /
the Lord God of the Holy prophets        thing is established by God,            ready to be revealed in the last        realistic.                                                                   /
sent his angel to show unto his          and God will shortly bring it           time                                 "Blessed is he that keepeth the                                                 /
servants the things which must           to pass.                             Acts 3:20-21 And he shall send Jesus     sayings"  "Blessed are they that do                                            /
shortly be done.                                                                 Christ, which before was preached     his commandments"  Down through                                                /
7  Behold, I come quickly. Blessed    Malachi 3:1-3 Behold, I will send          unto you:                               history many have laid claim to the                                          /
is he that keepeth the sayings of        my messenger, and he shall pre-          Whom heaven must receive until         blessings of the Lord and claim that                                         /
the prophecy of this book.               pare the way before me: and the         the times of restitution of all         they have earned eternal salvation.                                          /
                                         Lord, whom ye seek shall                things, which God hath spoken           But have they?  There will come a                                            /
                                         suddenly come to his temple,            by the mouth of all his holy            time when each person will no longer                                         /
                                         even the messenger of the               prophets since the world began.         have a chance to make the eternal                                            /
                                         covenant, whom ye delight in:                                                   decision. For many that now "sleep"                                          /
                                         behold, he shall come saith the                                                 their opportunity has passed. The                                            /
                                         Lord of hosts.                                                                  decision that brings eternal life is                                         /
                                          But who may abide the day of                                                   evidenced by a desire to understand                                          /
                                         his coming? and who shall stand                                                 the sayings and obey the command-                                            /
                                         when he appeareth? For he is                                                    ments. We observe many who say that                                          /
                                         like a refiner's fire, and like                                                 they are believers but they stubbor-                                         /
                                         fullers' soap:                                                                  nly continue to do as they please.                                           /
                                          And he shall sit as a refiner                                                  We are here instructed that this is                                          /
                                         and purifier of silver: and he                                                  not the behavior that will earn ent-                                         /
                                         shall purify the sons of Levi,                                                  rance to the holy city.  Here and                                            /
                                         and purge them as gold and                                                      earlier we are reminded of some of                                           /
                                         silver, that they may offer                                                     the types of behavior that evidence                                          /
                                         unto the Lord an offering in                                                    people that do not truly believe                                             /
                                         righteousness.                                                                  regardless of what they say in a                                             /
8  And I John saw these things,       Job 33:14-18 For God speaketh                                                      moment of religious fervor.  All                                             /
and heard them. And when I had           once, yea twice, yet man                                                        that read this Revelation are encou-                                         /
heard and seen, I fell down to           perceiveth it not.                                                              raged to examine their lives to see                                          /
worship before the feet of the            In a dream, in a vision of                                                     if they show evidences of "whosoever                                         /
angel which showed me these things.      the night, when deep sleep                                                      loveth and maketh a lie", idolatry                                           /
9  Then saith he unto me, See thou       falleth upon men, in slumber-                                                   of any form that keeps them from                                             /
do it not: for I am thy fellow           ings upon the bed;                                                              doing the will of God, and more                                              /
servant, and of thy brethren the          Then he openeth the ears of                                                    obvious behavior such as sorcerers,                                          /
prophets, and of them which keep         men, and sealeth their instr-                                                   whoremongers and idolaters.  The                                             /
the sayings of this book: worship        uction                                                                          latter behaviors are often evidences                                         /
God.                                      That he may withdraw man from                                                  of those who are belligerent and                                             /
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not        his purpose, and hide pride                                                     willful nonbelievers. However, idol-                                         /
the sayings of the prophecy of this      from man.                                                                       atry and loving a lie are more subv-                                         /
book: for the time is at hand.            He keepeth back his soul from                                                  ersive traps that many well meaning                                          /
                                         the pit, and his life from                                                      people have fallen into. The spirit                                          /
                                         perishing by the sword               I Peter 1:16-17 Because it is written,     of the antichrist has slyly worked                                           /
11 He that is unjust, let him be      Daniel 12:10 Many shall be                 Be ye holy; for I am holy.              many forms of the lie and idolatry                                           /
unjust still: and he which is            purified, and made white, and            And if ye call on the Father,          in amongst the family of believers                                           /
filthy, let him be filthy still:         tried, but the wicked shall do          who without respect of persons          and has caused many to fall.  As it                                          /
and he that is righteous, let him        wickedly: and none of the               judgeth according to every man's        did with Eve, the spirit of anti-                                            /
be righteous still: and he that is       wicked shall understand: but            work, pass the time of your sojou-      christ will make sly suggestions and                                         /
holy, let him be holy still.             the wise shall understand.              rning here in fear:                     slowly introduce doubt and forms of                                          /
12 And, behold, I come quickly;       Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord God       I Peter 5:4 And when the chief             misunderstanding amongst those who                                           /
and my reward is with me, to give        will come with strong hand, and         Shepherd shall appear, ye shall         are convicted that they should enter                                         /
every man according as his work          his arm shall rule for him:             receive a crown of glory that           the family of believers.                                                     /
shall be.                                behold,his reward is with him,          fadeth not away.                                                                                                     /
                                         and his work before him.                                                     "If any man shall add unto these                                                /
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the begin-   Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the Lord         I John 3:23 And this is his               things." "If any man shall take away                                          /
ning and the end, the first and the      the King of Israel, and his             commandment, That we should            from the words of the book of this                                            /
last.                                    Redeemer the Lord of hosts; I           believe on the name of his Son         prophecy" A recent poll of the people                                         /
                                         am the first, and I am the last,        Jesus Christ, and love one anoth-       of the United States revealed that                                           /
                                         and besides me there is no God.         er, as he gave us commandment.          more than ninety percent believe                                             /
14 Blessed are they that do his       Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly             I John 2:24-25 Let that therefore          that there is a supreme presence, a                                          /
commandments, that they may have         rejoice in the Lord, my soul            abide in you, which ye have heard       God. Fewer believe that there is a                                           /
right to the tree of life, and may       shall be joyful in my God; for          from the beginning. If that which       heaven and far fewer believe that                                            /
enter in through the gates into the      he hath clothed me with the             ye have heard from the beginning        there is a hell and that satan is a                                          /
city.                                    garments of salvation, he               shall remain in you, ye also            reality.  We state this as evidence                                          /
                                         hath covered me with the robe           shall continue in the Son, and          that there is a great tendency for                                           /
                                         of righteousness, as a bride-           in the Father.                          man to pick and choose from the Word                                         /
                                         groom decketh himself with               And this is the promise that he        and accept those teachings that they                                         /
                                         ornaments, and as a bride               hath promised us, even eternal          favor and reject the more unpleasant                                         /
                                         adorneth herself with her               life.                                   teachings.  Therefore we have this                                           /
                                         jewels.                                                                         warning that many people will want                                           /
15 For without are dogs, and sor-     Zechariah 13:2 And it shall come        Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs,            to read between the lines and add to                                         /
cerers, and whoremongers, and            to pass in that day, saith the          beware of evil workers, beware of       the Words things that would seem                                             /
murderers, and idolaters, and who-       Lord of hosts, that I will cut          the concision.                          more pleasant to man or simply "take                                         /
soever loveth and maketh a lie.          off the names of the idols out       Romans 1:3-4..Jesus Christ our Lord,       away from" or ignore those Words                                             /
                                         of the land, and they shall no          which was made of the seed of           that do not not agree with their                                             /
                                         more be remembered: and also            David according to the flesh;           selfish desires. The student must                                            /
                                         I will cause the prophets and            And declared to be the Son of          always be open to divine guidance in                                         /
                                         the unclean spirit to pass out          God with power, according to the        such matters and diligently study                                            /
                                         of the land.                            Spirit,..by the resurrection...         the Word before they become dogmatic                                         /
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to    Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come        II Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more       about certain teachings of men who                                           /
testify unto you these things in         forth a rod out of the stem of          sure word of prophecy; whereunto        are seemingly sincere.  Unfortunat-                                          /
the churches. I am the root and the      Jesse, and a Branch shall grow          ye do well that ye take heed, as        ely for many we have the warning                                             /
offspring of David, and the bright       out of his roots:                       unto a light that shineth in a          that to fall into such a practice                                            /
and morning star.                                                                dark place, until the day dawn,         puts one in danger of having God                                             /
17 And the Spirit and the bride       Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that             and the day-star arise in your          "take away his part out of the book                                          /
say, Come. And let him that heareth      thirsteth, come ye to the               hearts                                  of life".  Many modern day men say                                           /
say, Come. And let him that is           waters, and he that hath no              Knowing this first, that no            that no loving God would send a man                                          /
athirst come, And whosoever will,        money; come ye, buy, and eat;           prophecy of the Scripture is of         to hell! They have willingly follow-                                         /
let him take the water of life           yea, come, buy wine and milk            any private interpretation.             ed the logic of man and are comple-                                          /
freely.                                  without money and without                For the prophecy came not in old       tely ignoring the true characteri-                                           /
                                         price.                                  time by the will of man: but holy       stic of the love of a God who is so                                          /
18 For I testify unto every man       Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God          men of God spake as they were           righteous that he cannot reward men                                          /
that heareth the words of the prop-      is pure: he is a shield unto            moved by the Holy Ghost.                who willfully and continuously prac-                                         /
hecy of this book, If any man            them that put their trust in         Jude 14-21 .. Behold, the Lord             tice sin, who will not "do his comm-                                         /
shall add unto these things, God         him.                                    cometh with ten thousands of his        andments", who will not "keep the                                            /
shall add unto him the plagues            Add thou not unto his words,           saints,                                 sayings of the prophecy of this                                              /
that are written in this book:           lest he reprove thee, and thou           To execute judgment upon all,          book".                                                                       /
                                         be found a liar.                        and to convince all that are                                                                                         /
19 And if any man shall take away     Exodus 32:33 And the Lord said             ungodly among them of all their      "Surely I come quickly:"                                                        /
from the words of the book of this       unto Moses, Whosoever hath              ungodly deeds which they have           II Peter 3:3-5 ..."that there shall                                          /
prophecy, God shall take away his        sinned against me, him will I           ungodly committed, and of all           come in the last days scoffers,                                              /
part out of the book of life, and        blot out of my book.                    their hard speeches which ungodly       walking after their own lusts,                                               /
out of the holy city, and from the                                               sinners have spoken against him.         And saying, Where is the promise                                            /
things which are written in this                                                  These are murmurers, complainers,      of his coming? for since the fathers                                         /
book.                                                                            walking after their own lusts; and      fell asleep, all things continue as                                          /
20 He which testifieth these things   Isaiah 66:15-16 & 18 For, behold,          their mouth speaketh great swell-       they were from the beginning of                                              /
saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen.      the Lord will come with fire,           ing words, having men's persons         creation.                                                                    /
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.               and with chariots like a whirl-         in admiration because of advantage.      For this they willingly are                                                 /
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus           wind, to render his anger with           But, beloved, remember ye the          ignorant"...                                                                 /
Christ be with you all. Amen.            fury, and his rebuke with               words which were spoken before                                                                                       /
                                         flames of fire.                         of the apostles of our Lord Jesus    II Peter 3:14 & 17-18 " Wherefore,                                              /
                                          For by fire and by his sword           Christ;                                 beloved, seeing that ye look for                                             /
                                         will the Lord plead with all             How that they told you there           such things, be diligent that ye                                             /
                                         flesh: and the slain of the             should be mockers in the last           may be found of him in peace,                                                /
                                         Lord shall be many.                     time, who should walk after their       without spot, and blameless.                                                 /
                                          For I know their works and             own ungodly lusts.                       Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye                                            /
                                         their thoughts: it shall come,           These be they who separate them-       know these things before, beware                                             /
                                         that I will gather all nations          selves, sensual, having not the         lest ye also, being led away with                                            /
                                         and tongues; and they shall             Spirit.                                 the error of the wicked, fall from                                           /
                                         come, and see my glory.                  But ye, beloved building up your-      your own steadfastness.                                                      /
                                                                                 selves on your most holy faith,          But grow in grace, and in the                                               /
                                                                                 praying in the Holy Ghost,              knowledge of our Lord and Savior                                             /
                                                                                  Keep yourselves in the love of         Jesus Christ. To him be glory both                                           /
                                                                                 God looking for the mercy of our        now and for ever. Amen."                                                     /
                                                                                 Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal                                                                                       /
                                                                                 Life.                                                                                                                /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
